Exile's Fall
by Xephinetsa
Summary: "It is such a quiet thing to fall. But far more terrible, is to admit it." -Kreia-    The Jedi have gone missing.  Aishi, the Exile, sets out to find them: but will she choose to save them... or destroy them?    A Sion/Female!Exile fic.
1. Chapter 1

"Well, isn't this great? We're stranded on a moon that's covered in jungle! And even better, said jungle is filled with ferocious beasts that would just love to tear us limb from limb and devour our flesh!" Aishi threw her arms into the air and began to pace back and forth, muttering something unintelligible under her breath. Atton stood a few paces away and watched in amusement. "You need to calm down, General."  
"Calm down? Calm down? I blew up a mining facility, went to jail and crashed a shuttle twice on the same planet! And now I've crashed yet again, this time on some kriffing moon orbiting the planet that I need to get to, but can't! Don't you tell me to calm down, Bao-Dur!"  
"Technically, I did the crashing. And you need to watch your language there, sweetie," Atton tutted in a sarcastic tone.  
She shot him an icy glare and he smirked.  
_Exile!_  
All of a sudden, she clapped her hands over her ears and squeezed her eyes shut. "Don't be so loud!"  
_I apologize for startling you, but you need to calm down. _  
"Look, I already told Bao…"  
_I am aware of this, and for once the alien is right.  
_Atton and Bao-Dur exchanged confused glances. Who was she talking to?  
"Fine! I'll try to calm down! I've just been feeling so stressed lately…" her voice trailed off and she removed her hands from her ears.  
_Use the Force; let it flow freely through you.  
_"Would you kindly get out of my head?"  
_Very well.  
_Aishi turned to face a very confused Bao and an amused Atton. She smiled. "Atton, you've got work to do, so get on with it. Bao, you come with me and we'll explore the jungle. Move out!" As she began marching, Atton leant in to whisper something to Bao. "I think our 'fearless leader' has started on the path to madness."  
The Zabrak frowned, unsure of what to say.  
"Just sayin'," Atton shrugged and slipped away into the ship.

Aishi's enthusiasm had soon died down and she was in a sour mood again. Trekking through the jungle in the pouring rain can do that to people. She let out a sigh, her breath forming a white cloud in the cold air. Bao-Dur tagged along behind and continuously fought off all kinds of insects that just loved to tear at his flesh with their tiny fangs. The Exile, completely unaware of this, remained unfazed by the miniscule war going on behind her. A low growl from the bushes warned her of an incoming attack and she snapped to attention. A maalraas leapt out at her, its merciless red eyes flashing. She dove out of the way, barely managing to escape unscathed.  
Her reaction time was considerably slower without the Force.  
The beast slammed into a tree and fell with a _thud _to the wet jungle floor. It remained unmoving for a few tense moments, then snarled and sprang to its feet, ready to attack again. She jumped back as it slashed at her with its extremely sharp claws, narrowly escaping, but not without a scratch. She bit her tongue to hold back a cry of pain and grabbed her injured arm.  
The maalraas, angry that it had not yet killed its prey; whipped at her legs with its powerful tail, unbalancing her and knocking her to the ground. During the fall, her blaster had flown out of her reach, so she was now defenceless against the mighty beast.  
Everything had happened so fast, that Bao had had no chance to do something, until now. He launched into a dive, tackling the maalraas into the mud and punched it repeatedly with his cybernetic arm, breaking its ribs with ease. The body went limp. Bao stood and wiped the blood from his face. "Are you alright, General?" Before she could respond, another maalraas jumped at her, successfully pinning her to the ground. It scratched her across the stomach, immediately drawing blood. She had fallen near her blaster and now picked it up and shot it in the head repeatedly, the bolts ripping through its skull. The now mangled body fell sideways and splashed into the mud. She would've kept at it, but Bao grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. Shaken, but not defeated, she limped away from the battle scene, clutching at her wound.

Later, Kreia entered the Exile's mind, but this time with subtlety.  
_Exile…_ her voice was a ghostly whisper.  
Aishi did not respond for a moment, then sighed and said, "What do you want?"  
_For someone currently so weak, your tone is strong and defiant.  
_"You didn't come creeping into my head for a friendly conversation, Kreia. I ask again, what do you want?"_**  
**__If you had listened to what the Force was telling you, you would not be injured as you are now. Tell me, why do you ignore it so?  
_"I don't need you to lecture me. I don't want the Force, not again. All it brings is suffering and painful memories."_**  
**__Ah, so it is fear that drives you to block it out? _It was more of a statement than a question._  
_"Go away."_**  
**_She continued on in silence, every step causing an explosion of pain. She refused to use the Force; she would get through this without it.  
Eventually, the two arrived at a deserted camp, the fire long extinguished. Some scattered medical supplies caught her attention and she bent over to pick up a medpac. Again, she was greeted by the familiar feeling known as pain, but she gritted her teeth and ignored it. "This place is so… eerie," Bao-Dur pointed out, breaking the silence. Aishi crouched down and opened up the medpac, taking out a kolto patch and a cloth, setting aside the rest. It wasn't long before the cloth was wet and she was able to use it to clean her wound. She started with the small one on her arm, removing all the blood and applying a kolto patch was all she needed. Before she could move on to her stomach wound, the sound of deactivating stealth-field generators filled her ears. She looked up to see about a dozen Mandalorians clad in armour of varying colours surrounding her and Bao in a tight circle. "Our leader wishes to speak with you," one said in a heavily-accented version of Galactic Basic.  
"Can't you see that she's hurt?" Bao protested.  
"She can have her wounds treated at our camp. Now come before I have to force you."

After a quick chat with Mandalore the Preserver, the Exile was escorted to the medbay and was left standing in the doorway alone. Apparently she was expected to treat her wounds on her own. She stood motionless for some time, until a Mandalorian wearing blue armour emerged from a small room connected to the bay. When he saw a tall woman with long white hair stained red, and blood seeping through her fingers as she clutched at a rather serious wound, he immediately rushed to her aid. "Are you alright?" he asked as he sat her down on one of the beds. She shook her head groggily. "What happened to you?"  
"I… was attacked… by a – a maalraas. Two actually."  
He rummaged through the contents of a footlocker until he found what he was looking for. He gently pushed her down and examined the scratch marks. "Ouch. Do you need something for the pain?"  
She managed a small nod. He injected a stim-shot into her side to help ease the pain. He then threw the now empty stim into a chute labelled "garbage compactor". He pulled up her torn shirt a bit so he could access the wound. As softly as he could, he dabbed at the blood until it was as clean as he could get it. Aishi winced slightly, but was otherwise unhurt by his treatment. "Almost done," he reassured her as he finished off binding the wound with spray-bandages. "Thank you… um-"  
"Zuka."  
"-Zuka. You're different from the others; none of them offered to help."  
"There's a refresher in the back," he said, gesturing at the room he had come out of. "When you feel ready, you can wash up, but don't shower just yet. Also, you're going to need a new shirt." He opened a large locker and pulled out a black shirt with long sleeves. "It's probably too big, but we don't have any clothes meant for females." He shrugged. "It's only temporary, anyway. You can return to your ship and change when you're feeling up to it."  
She smiled sleepily. "If you need anything, I'll be outside, working on some repairs. This damn jungle is taking over everything."  
"Thanks again." She yawned and closed her eyes, quickly drifting off to sleep.

Meanwhile, back on the _Ebon Hawk_, Atton had busted yet another hydro spanner whilst attempting to repair the damaged hyperdrive. He cursed under his breath and threw the useless tool over his shoulder. A loud clanking sound followed by irritated beeps suggested that it had hit T3-M4, the little astromech droid they'd picked up on Peragus. "Shut up," Atton growled. He was in no mood for hearing complaints. "You shouldn't have been in the way."  
T3 rolled away, still beeping irritably. He clicked on the comlink and asked Bao how he was going with finding the parts.  
"I'm pretty sure I've got what I need. I'll be down shortly," he responded.  
"Finally! Some good news! These repairs are getting nowhere!"  
He abandoned the hyperdrive and decided to try his luck at fixing the damaged hull instead. He cradled the toolbox under his arm, opened the loading ramp and walked out into the open air. "Damn Dxun and its permanently gloomy weather."  
Atton placed the toolbox onto the grass and slipped back into the ship to grab a ladder. T3 beeped, causing him to turn quickly and accidentally hit him with the ladder. The little droid went flying and hit a wall. "What is with you and getting in my way?" he growled. When he received no response he tried again. "Hello?"  
Still no response.  
He sighed and dropped the ladder, not meaning for it to land on his toe. "Ouch!" he exclaimed, instinctively grabbing his foot and jumping to stay balanced. "Can anything else go wrong?" He dropped his foot to the floor and walked over to inspect T3. "Are you okay?" he asked, waving his hand in front of the droid's "eye". He noticed for the first time that the blue light had dimmed and he could no longer hear the whir of the droid's gears working. "Uh-oh…"

As she slept, Aishi dreamt of the dark presence that had been lingering in the back of her mind ever since she'd woken up on Peragus. It called to her. She could almost feel it, but it always seemed to be just out of her reach; teasing her, _mocking_ her. Beckoning for her to follow.  
She'd been having the same dream for some time, and it always ended the same way. With her, struggling against the dark shadow, before succumbing to its power.  
But this time it was different.  
This time, she heard a voice; cracked and mystifying. "Exile…" it said.  
"Who are you?" Though her lips were moving, the words were not her own.  
"I am darkness; I am pain. I am your nightmare and your dream. Come to me…"  
"Where can I find you?" There was a slight longing in her voice, a longing for power. It was foreign to her.  
"Korriban," the voice whispered, seemingly coming from all directions.  
"Korriban…" she repeated. She could feel the power, and she wanted it. She _craved_ it.

When she finally woke, it was the morning of the next day. Bao sat by her bed and looked up when he heard her stir. "Good to see you up, General. I'm sorry that I couldn't stay yesterday, Atton called me on the comlink, he said it was urgent. Apparently the hyperdrive is busted."  
She groaned inwardly.  
"But don't worry; I'm sure I can find the parts I need here."  
She forced herself to sit up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. "Alright, you go scavenge for some parts, and don't forget to ask first. We don't want any trouble with these Mandalorians."  
"Understood, General." He left the medbay.  
Lyn cast the sheets aside and staggered unsteadily to her feet. She was still feeling slightly disorientated. Slowly, using the wall for support, she made her way into the refresher and closed the door behind her. She splashed cold water onto her face and scrubbed away the blood and dirt as best as she could. She then proceeded to dip her head under the running water to wet her hair. Once that was done, she tied her hair into a rough bun and grabbed the long-sleeved shirt that Zuka had given her. As gently as she could, she lifted her torn and blood-stained shirt over her head and hung it on a spare metal hook beside the basin. Next, she pulled on the black shirt and rolled up the sleeves so they didn't hang over her hands. Now that she was clean and feeling better, she grabbed her shirt and opened the refresher door.  
She stepped out into the rain and sighed. She had to prove herself to Mandalore before she was able to take the shuttle to Onderon; and now that she was injured, she was unable to do most things. "I'm sure I'll find something to do that doesn't require too much physical strain," she muttered.

Somewhere in a dark chamber, a mysterious figure sat cross-legged, in a meditative trance.  
He could feel the Exile's emotions.  
He could feel her pain.  
And he drew power from that pain; that suffering. It made him feel whole when he was broken.  
As he reached further into her mind, he found that same longing that he had. Though it was faint, weak. He somehow knew, that soon the time would come where that longing came alive, and she would follow his call to her destruction. He smiled in anticipation, his twisted soul finding pleasure in that knowledge.  
When she came… he would be ready.

The Exile wandered aimlessly for a while, until she overheard a rather interesting conversation going on between two Mandalorians clad in blue armour. They both held rifles, but they were pointed downwards hinting that they were either off-duty, or slacking. They spoke in hushed whispers, so she moved a little closer to hear them better. "Have you heard?" one asked, his tone grave.  
"Heard what?" the other answered with a question.  
"Several Mandalorian patrols have been going missing of late. No one knows why."  
"That's spooky," the second said.  
"Very. Especially since the disappearances have been happening in the vicinity of an old tomb. At least, that's what the reports say."  
"You don't think…"  
"No," the first interrupted. "The likeliness of the dead coming back to life and kidnapping Mandalorian patrols is extremely low."  
"But I've heard stories-"  
"And you believe them? Come on... they're nothing but a bunch of nonsense put together to scare children." The first shook his head and sighed.  
Aishi coughed politely to gain their attention. The two Mandalorians snapped to attention, but upon seeing who she was, relaxed immediately. "Excuse me, gentlemen… but would you be so kind as to show me where this tomb is located?"

After persuading the two Mandalorians to lead her to the tomb, the Exile set out, keeping a few paces behind. Both were still reluctant to actually set foot into the small clearing where the tomb was located, so when they reached it, she continued on alone. "Hey, wait!" one called out. She turned around just in time to catch a Mandalorian comlink as it flew toward her. "Contact us if you run into any trouble," he said.  
"Okay. And if I'm not back in an hour, return to camp and assume that something has gone wrong. Send a team, if you feel the need to. If Bao comes looking for me, tell him that I'm out with a Mandalorian patrol. I don't want him worrying about me."  
"Affirmative," the two said simultaneously. Satisfied, she turned back and ventured into the darkness of the tomb.

The first few minutes of exploring the tomb were uneventful; all she found was a few broken pots, some old and decaying Sith statues and some kind of sacrificial dagger. She left the dagger on its stand, in case removing it triggered a trap. As she moved through a dark corridor, her ears twitched slightly. Her sharp eyes scanned the surrounding walls, but found nothing. Still, she had that unnerving sense of foreboding lingering at the edge of her conscious thoughts. Without the Force, she couldn't be sure if it was genuine or merely her mind playing tricks on her. "If you are unsure, always assume that you are being followed," she muttered to herself. So, she proceeded with extreme caution, stopping every now and then to investigate sounds and movement she noticed. Eventually, she came to a fork in the path. "Hmm, which way should I go?"  
Before she had a chance to react, an object dropped from the ceiling, releasing gas on impact. Tears sprung from her eyes and all of a sudden, she found it difficult to breathe. Her throat closed over and she choked on the noxious fumes. She collapsed to the stone floor, her body shaking violently.  
She struggled against the darkness pulling her down, but failed to stop herself from losing consciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

"The hyperdrive is up and running again," Bao confirmed, refixing the lid over the top. He packed up his toolkit and turned to Atton. "Did you manage to repair the hull damage?"  
"Uhh… well, you see…" the scoundrel nervously scratched at the back of his neck. "There was a slight, er, problem that prevented me from starting-"  
"What happened?" Bao cut in with a sigh.  
"Let me show you."  
Bao picked up his toolkit and followed Atton to the cargo hold. He scanned the room, his gaze falling on a small, battered astromech droid, tucked away in the corner. "Atton… what did you do?" He rushed forward and knelt down before T3. "Well, there was an incident with a ladder – it wasn't on purpose."  
The Zabrak shook his head sadly after a quick look at the damage. "I suppose I'll have to fix him. You go on ahead and repair the hull."  
Atton hesitated in the doorway, then turned back to face Bao-Dur. "One last thing," he began, waiting for Bao to respond.  
"What is it?"  
"Please don't tell Aishi. You know how fond she is of the little droid."  
Bao-Dur sighed again and gave Atton the slightest of nods. Content that the Zabrak would not breathe a word of his mistake, Atton left the cargo hold and retrieved the discarded ladder from where it lay.  
He had work to do.

Aishi woke in a dimly-lit chamber to the sounds of screaming and the whir of an active force-field. She could vaguely remember entering the tomb and some kind of gas that had knocked her out. When she tried to move, she found her feet were chained. Almost immediately, panic rose up inside, but she managed to force it down and take a deep breath to calm herself. She could hear the sound of a force-field, but her view was clear. Cautiously, she moved her hand forward, only to pull it back quickly upon being electrocuted by the invisible field. The sound of maniacal laughing filled the room, echoing off the walls until it died away, leaving her to wonder where the sound had originated from.  
She didn't have to wait long to find out.  
A tall man in his early twenties with ghostly pale skin and a dirty mess of hair that looked as if it could've once been blonde stepped into the light. Before he could open his mouth to speak, Aishi's comlink buzzed into life. "Hello? Please come in." When there was no reply, the voice began again. "Hello, can you hear me? Please respond."  
Two pairs of eyes were fixed on the comlink. Watching; waiting. "One last time. If you do not respond, then I'm assuming something has happened."  
She bit her lip. Had it been an hour already? She had no idea how long she'd been out. "Okay. We're leaving to report to Mandalore." At the mention of Mandalore, the stranger activated a blue-bladed lightsaber and sliced the comlink in half in one swift movement. Now, as he moved closer to the force-cage, Aishi stifled a gasp.  
She recognized him from somewhere.

"Nothing but static." Aishi's Mandalorian escorts took one last look at the tomb entrance, then started their journey back to camp. The urge to glance back and make sure nothing was following grew stronger and stronger with each step they took. Soon enough, it was too much and they turned back to find the source of their discomfort. Someone was in fact following, but it was not a ghostly Sith apparition as they had expected; it was only the Zabrak tech-expert that travelled with the Exile looking cold, wet and ticked-off. "Ah! Thingy! I mean… uh-"  
"Bao-Dur."  
"Right, right. What are you doing out here alone?"  
"I'm making my way to your camp. I'm going to check on Aishi. Take me to her." His tone was monotonous and softly commanding.  
"Umm, she-"  
"-Will probably be wandering around somewhere, if she's not still in the medbay," the other cut in, shoving his elbow into his partner's stomach.  
Bao said nothing. His gaze was intimidating; and seemed to see right through them.  
"Take me to her," he said again.  
"Right. Follow us!" They turned back toward the camp and led him through the dense jungle growth and up winding paths until they finally reached the outpost. After searching the entire camp and finding no trace of Aishi, he stalked over to the Mandalorians that had escorted him. "Where is she?" Bao demanded. They exchanged glances. "Well?" He grew more impatient by the second.  
"I remember now! She told us to tell you that she was out with a Mandalorian patrol so you wouldn't get worried." This particular comment earned the recruit another elbow in the stomach. "Ouch! Stop doing that!"  
"Idiot," the other hissed. "You blew it."  
As he tended to his bruised stomach and ego, Bao glared at the second recruit with smouldering eyes. "I'll ask you one last time. Where. Is. Aishi?" He dragged the question out as if he were speaking to a child. At last, the recruit gave in. "She went to explore a Sith tomb."

Atton closed the small hatch on the side of the ship and wiped the oil from his face with the back of his hand. He took a step back to survey his work, accidentally knocking over his toolkit and scattering tools everywhere. "Dammit!" he exclaimed. Reluctantly, he got down on his hands and knees, and cringed at the mud soaking through his pants and gloves. When he had gathered most of the tools together, a small, monkey-like creature grabbed a hydro spanner and took off with it. "Hey! Get back here you thief!" He jumped up and stumbled after it, splashing through puddles and earning himself two very wet feet. He slipped on the mud and fell forward, face-first into a pile of dung. The creature let out a high-pitched squeaking that almost sounded like a laugh; dropped the hydro spanner onto Atton's head and disappeared into the bushes. The scoundrel pushed up off the soaked jungle floor and did his best to wipe the dung from his face; which only served to spread it further.  
And so it was that a very dirty and agitated scoundrel entered the _Ebon Hawk _that day. He ignored Kreia's sarcastic comment, which was quite unusual for him, as he would almost always have a comeback. He dumped the dripping toolkit in the cargo hold and locked himself in the 'fresher without a word.

"Janos… is that you?" Aishi asked uncertainly. "Janos Rato?" She noticed a glimmer of recognition at the mention of his name. "Yes… that's what they called me, right? Janos." He spoke as if he'd only just discovered who he was. "We served in the war together," she continued.  
"Served? What do you mean _served_? The war still rages! The Mandalorians have me surrounded – they have us all surrounded! But for some reason they only send small patrols. They're waiting for me to break. Waiting for me to come out into the open so they can butcher me on the spot!" He turned to her, a crazy look in his eye. "I am the only survivor!" His eyes darted left and right, as if they had a mind of their own. "You will die, Mandalorian! You will be tortured to death! But not before I get some information from you, even if I have to force it from you! Wait… I _will _force it from you!" He let out another maniacal laugh, lightning sparking from his fingertips.  
"Well, this explains why Mandalorian patrols have been going missing recently."  
"Yes! I have tortured and killed them all! Listened to their dying screams for the Republic! We will win the Mandalorian Wars! We will! And you, scum, will be just another enemy casualty!"  
"Janos… don't you remember me? General Aishi?"  
"Don't play games with me! General Aishi is dead! I am the only survivor!"  
With that, he switched off the force-field and zapped her with lightning, causing her to fall to her knees and convulse with shock and pain. "Tell me! How many troops are out there?"  
"The Wars are… over. We – we won. I…"  
"Wrong answer!" He zapped her again, with more force this time, all the while cackling insanely. Her wound reopened, allowing fresh blood to pour out and stain her clothes. "Same question! Answer truthfully or suffer the consequences!"  
She coughed up more blood, shaking all over. She couldn't speak; her throat was dry – ever so dry. When he received no answer, he let out another round of lightning; taking pleasure at watching her suffer. He would not listen to reason, he was beyond that.  
Janos was gone.  
All that was left was too convinced that the Mandalorian Wars still raged on. He had been locked away inside himself for so long that he no longer possessed a grasp of reality. He now lived inside his own nightmare, and there was no way back. It pained Aishi to see him like this; but beside the pain, hidden away, was also anger.  
A small spark that soon became a flame.  
A flame that soon became a great, roaring fire.  
She let out a loud, piercing scream that shattered everything in range. Ancient Sith pottery broke into a thousand pieces; the very roof and walls began to crumble. Her scream sent a shock wave that shook the whole tomb. Janos clapped his hands over his ears, but could not block out the bloodcurdling cry. His entire body was lifted into the air and thrown against the wall, splattering crimson liquid all over. What remained of the body was ripped apart by the sheer force behind the scream and was no more.  
Aishi stopped screaming and opened her eyes to review the chaos. Everything around her was destroyed. She, the source of the carnage, sat in the middle of it all; the only thing untouched. Before she had a chance to even think about what has just happened, a great rumbling sound filled her ears.  
The tomb was collapsing.  
_Run, Exile!_  
"Of all the times to creep into my head-"  
_There is no time for this! You must escape!  
_"Fine, fine! But this isn't over!"  
She leapt to her feet a bolted out of there; running through the many twisting corridors that made up the tomb until she made it to where she had started. As rocks twice her size crashed down around her, she forced herself the last few meters and dove through the exit, out into the pouring rain. A pair of black leather boots was not what she was expecting to see at her current eye-level, but as she craned her neck to look up, Bao-Dur and two Mandalorians clad in blue armour were a welcome sight. "Are you okay, General?" he asked, pulling her to her feet. Her knees caved almost instantly and he grabbed her waist before she could fall. "You're not fit to walk."  
"Don't be ridiculous! I-" her protest was interrupted as he lifted her off the ground and into his arms. "I can walk. I'm just…"  
"General! It's alright to get help sometimes. Don't let your pride get in the way. No one will think any less of you if I carry you back to camp."  
So she shut her mouth and rested her head on his strong shoulder, secretly relieved that she didn't have to walk. The power she had felt in the tomb was gone. She felt drained; as is all of her energy had been sucked out of her.  
And, for once, she was glad of the permanently gloomy Dxun weather. The rain streamed down her cheeks, hiding the tears that now flowed freely from her eyes. 


End file.
